Crystal Dreams
by Shuyinryu
Summary: Adventure with a dash of Crack. FLight, other pairings. other ff chars. T for mild language.


**-Crystal Dreams-**

_**by: Shuyinryu**_

_**written for: ElissaCousland (my wife)**_

_**May 30**__**th**__**, 2011 **_**Happy Birthday!**

Lightning pushed through the thick, overhanging branches. It was day but, the canopy created pockets of shadow and light. She was confused and wondered how she got to this place and why she was here. Her pale, pink hair stuck to her neck and her shoulder-cape kept falling over her shoulder. Her irritation was mounting and she finally snatched her blade from its scabbard and whipped it around her in swift, slicing blows, leaves fluttering around her in pieces.

She stood there in the middle of the small clearing she had created, her breath snorting in anger. Suddenly, she heard a branch snap behind her and she whirled around only to see dust motes flitting about in irritated fits. She felt a hand on her shoulder and brought her blade around to meet the throat of her attacker.

Black, wispy hair surrounded a tanned face. Sly, hazel eyes grinned at her under arched brows. Lightning took in the DragoonSpear loosely grasped and propped on her shoulder.

"Yun," the dark, sensual woman whispered and Lightning felt herself being dragged from behind. She reached for the woman's hand but, she only stood there and watched Lightning.

"Wait! Who?" Then the forest darkened and Lightning was shrouded in a growing, white light. She began to feel heavy and then felt a herself being shaken.

"Hey! Wake up!"

Lightning groaned and pulled the blanket over her head. "Goo..away.." she moaned under the blanket.

Hope was not her favorite student but, as Commandant of the Aeon Corps…she had to live with the recruits. _Who recruited him anyway?_, she wondered grumpily. With a groaning sigh, she dug herself out of bed. Lightning glared at Hope, who was still standing in the doorway holding his hands and rocking back and forth on his heels, as if he knew he'd be waiting a while.

"Chh," she hissed and, grinning, Hope dashed through the door slamming it behind him. Lightning stepped to the washroom and splashed her face with cold water, feeling her nerves tingling and waking up to the vigorating sensation. She lifted her swordsheath from its hook, on the wall, and fastened it to her tunic hem.

As she moved into the outer room of her apartments, she could hear Snow calling out encouragement to the beginner's class, on the grounds outside. He had a loud and chummy personality but, even Lightning had to admit, he was patient with the younger children and his loyalty to Serah was almost knightly.

Lightning closed the door behind her, jogged to the hall window, and looked out at the students gathering to train. Hope and Vanille stood to the side of the group chatting to themselves while the others milled about looking like they wished they were anywhere else.

Lightning wished sometimes the parents that sent their children to train had at least made sure they _wanted_ to train or at least had some inclination in its direction. Still, there were some who had potential. Some who would go far in their training and become solid, dependable fighters.

Stepping out into the sunlight, Lighting gestured for Hope to line everyone up. Hope nodded his head in acknowledgement and Vanille, in like turn, began to herd the students into neat rows.

"Alright, today…"

Meanwhile…

Squall slashed his gun blade and sent a staticky fireball across the acrid expanse of air that separated him and Ultimecia. Everytime his blows landed the sky darkened and he would see flashes. In these flashed he caught glimpses of Rinoa. Then he would see people and places he'd never been or seen. In one, he saw a fiery man with wild, blonde hair dashing complicated sword strikes in a battle he could he could not fully see, the edges being blurred and fading with each flash. In another, he saw a woman with green hair and compassionate but, troubled eyes standing in a circle of people, who were gathered around her and three others. One, a blonde haired woman, that looked like an army general, was holding down a writhing, cursing man, who would occasionally burst into maniacal laughter that chilled Squall's skin, even in the snap of a vision that came through the flashes.

Ultimecia stepped back and bending over almost double gathered a strange spell together. She suddenly stood up and screamed at the sky, lightning flashing from her palms and shooting into the sky, creating black veins across the sky that looked like gashes. The wind whipped Squall's messy brown hair into his eyes and he staggered back under the weight of Ultimecia's spell. This was no ordinary spell…something was happening…

Squall could feel his skin tightening and his eyes drying He put his hand up to shield his face and tried to look through his fingers at Ultimecia. She grabbed his eyes with her forceful stare and Squall struggled against the restraint. He couldn't move.

Ultimecia nodded once and brought her hands together with a mighty clap that cracked the earth. Squall stumbled and fell to one knee his gun blade propping him from completely being prone. He looked up in time to see a blinding, white light breaking through the gashed Ultimecia had made in the sky and then…..

He was alone.

He couldn't see or hear anything. He looked down at himself and then looked around.

There was nothing…it was void…a dimension lacking sound and shape. Squall stood up, his sword hanging loosely in his hand. He looked around but, saw nothing. Finally, he squinted into the hazy whiteness and saw a pulsing blue figure, gesturing for Squall to follow….

Elsewhere….

The recruits were looking nice this round. Hope kept improving and soon he'd be ready for his first mission. Lightning wondered if things were this peaceful on Pulse when Cocoon still hung in the sky. When the Fal'Cie still mindlessly used its human neighbors.

She thought back to when she first woke from crystal stasis and saw Fang and Vanille's crystal reproach…..

She remembered her heart sinking at the thought of never seeing them again. For awhile, watching Serah and Snow get married and taking care of Hope took her mind from thoughts of them. Sometimes, though, when she was falling asleep and the world seemed to slow down…she would recall how Fang's head would tilt when she smiled….or Vanille's sweet gasp when Hope asked her out for the first time. Lightning smiled as she remembered Hope coming to her for advice on how to get Vanille to go out with him. He was so sweet…

Her smile faded when she thought of how she had to tell him she was the last person he should ask for advice on asking people out or going out with someone. Aside from Fang, her heart had never really felt that way for anyone and she never got the chance to go to Fang. For awhile, while they were still on Cocoon, she thought Fang had feelings for Vanille…but…..when Vanille woke from her Crystal Sleep she revealed that she and Fang had never been that way with each other. They were fierce friends and would have died for each other but, Vanille had feelings for Hope.

She would never have said anything although her bubbly personality would have suggested other wise. In any case, when asked where Fang was Vanille had no answer. She woke up on Gran Pulse. When she looked around her there was nothing but a shattered Cieth stone nearby. No Fang. So she called Hecontacheir and he brought her to Odin who, in turn came to Lightning.

One day, when she felt she had a group of recruits able to handle such a trip, she planned on looking for Fang.

Lately though… Fang had been coming to her in dreams. Frustratingly though, for only moments at a time. If only she had some way of making her dreams solid ….if only for a little while..she could ask Fang where she was.

Suddenly, the sky darkened and a massive thunderclap shook the ground, bringing her out of her reverie. The wind picked up and whipped her hair around wildly. Presently, Odin came cantering around the corner. She grinned…she could always count on him.

Especially, since he had decided summoning was tiresome and stayed with Lightning. He no longer needed to be summoned. When he came into jumping range she leaped onto his back and looked around for Hope and Vanille. A loud revving sound filled her ears and she knew Snow had called Shiva. Odin turned toward the sound and trotted to Snow.

"What the hell man?" Snow exclaimed, a broad grin stretching his face.

"What's so funny" she asked him, her irritation already mounting.

"I LOVE a good storm dude!" he shouted into the wind and revved Shiva again.

"Light!" Hope called from somewhere behind her and she turned to see Hope running towards her. "What's goin on?

"Ya got me," Lightning said. She looked up and saw dark, viscous skeins inching across the violent sky in a slow, threatening way. Light could feel the earth rumbling beneath Odin's hooves. She glanced around to direct Hope and saw him already herding the other recruits to the barracks. He caught Lightning's look, over his shoulder and nodded. He summoned Alexander and shielded the building with his massive ramparts.

Lightning squinted into the distance and just barely made out a beckoning blue figure. Her heart leapt at the thought of Fang and she kicked Odin into a frantic gallop. As she approached the figure, she heard a whistle through the wind and chaos. Odin put his head down and pounded the ground with his thundering feet but, they never seemed to get any closer.

Just as Lightning was about to give up the figure stopped and turned to look at Light. Her brows jerked into a confused frown as she recognized the man from one of her dreams. The man with crazy, blonde hair and a shiny, brilliant crystal sword. Odin skidded to a stop and the man shook and scratched his head. He put his hand to his lips and whistled again, this time simply turning and seeming to walk onto an invisible bridge that gently ascended. Odin needed no prompting this time and trotted into the air, after the glowing, blue man.

At the same time…

Yuna smiled down at the small child. Bright, red hair and shocking green eyes framed a handsome but, small face. Vidina reached up to be lifted into Yuna's arms. She wondered when Lulu would get back from Dona an Barthello's place in Kilika. They had planned a dinner (much to Dona's stinging displeasure) to talk about their children.

There was a growing concern that Yevon would creep back into society and skew the younger generation away from the peaceful Calm that Yuna and Crew had given to Spira. Though Dona had protested the meeting, she would have done anything to keep that conniving, poisonous organization from what she knew now to be the rest of her life because though she never would mention it to Barthello, the thought of having children with him had grown since that happy day when the Youth League finally let the temple defenders into the town, to be reunited with their families.

Yuna bent down to pick Vidina up when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"That one's growin big yah?" Wakka boomed from behind her.

Her lip twisted into a grin as Vidina raced to Wakka. "Where's Lulu?" she asked Wakka.

He smiled broadly and jerked his thumb behind him at their tent, in Besaid. Presently, Tidus and Rikku came sauntering in from hunting fiends. Tidus was dragging a very dead animal behind that looked like a weird version of a rabbit but, she couldn't be sure. It looked almost…metal.

"Yunie!" Rikku exclaimed, "lookit what Tidus found! It's not even from Spira," She stopped and cocked her head, "Heyyy, you think it's Leblanc's?" she slyly suggested.

"Itsa Botbunny!" Vidina exclaimed and dashed into the tent with Lulu.

"We were passing what used to be the Macalania Woods and we had gotten almost to where the spring was where we camped, right before we went to the Calm Lands, and all of a sudden, the ground started rumbling and the lake started glowing, with this bright white light," Tidus explained "I thought the Aeons were coming to take me back again," he said with a nervous chuckle "but then this weird machina circle materialized, in midair, over the lake and these machina fiends started to jump through the circle..and came right for us!" He shifted his weight and scratched the back of his head.

"Yunie…its not Sin…is it?"

Yuna frowned sadly. Sin was gone. Or so she thought…Shuyin was with Lenne again…

Confusing thoughts jumbled around in her mind until she couldn't think anymore.

She looked up at Wakka then looked at Tidus and Rikku and just as she was opening her mouth to say something, the ground shook, with a massive, groaning roar. Yuna clamped her hands to her ears and Wakka went to be with Lulu and Vidina. Rikku stumbled to one knee and Tidus pulled her to her feet and grabbed Yuna's hand.

The wood that was always piled in the center of Besaid square, for a community bonfire, fell into dissarray and the carefully laid stones encircling it were bouncing on the ground. Yuna stepped into Tidus' arms and hid her face in his chest. She wanted him close…

"Watch ouuuttt!" Tidus screamed and a blinding white light enveloped them all and Yuna was reminded of the time Ixion had knocked her into the Farplane and she met Shuyin. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and she tightened her grip on Tidus' hand. Suddenly, she felt the ground drop beneath her and they were falling. Tidus took her other hand and they gently dropped through the darkness hands clamped together. He looked in her eyes and smiled encouragingly and she lifted the corner of her mouth in a sad little smile. She didn't want to lose him again…

"I can't see anything," Yuna said, frightened.

"I'm right here" Tidus calmly reminded her. Yuna's stomach began to knot as the events seemed to mirror her meeting with Shuyin, in the Farplane, the she felt her feet touch the ground. She whirled around, expecting to see Shuyin sauntering through the endless flowers and pyrfly falls. Yuna looked for the aeons' summoning, in the distance and couldn't find it. So Zanarkand really was gone then. She felt Tidus' hand slip from hers gently. "it's just me, Yuna."

Yuna felt a wind, push at her back and she and Tidus stumbled forward to their knees. She saw his Brotherhood sword skid into the flowers. Yuna snapped her head around in time to see three, glowing blue figures approaching the Farplane. Their rich, blue light pulsed with the time of her heartbeats. Leblanc, she thought and got to her feet. She was really going to give it to her this time…but Yuna was frozen in midstep when she didn't recognize their faces…and why were they all carrying weapons?

The first to materialize was a woman with pale, pink hair. Her white tunic was open in the front and a red cape flapped behind her, attached to one shoulder. She had a strange machina sword that she magically seemed to snap and at the same time fold down and slip into her hem scabbard. She looked around her and saw Yuna and Tidus. She was silent but, her eyes said all Yuna needed to know.

A breath later the second figure materialized. A man. A young man with messy brown hair and gunbelts, slung low on his hips. A sword was resting on his shoulder as he calmly surveyed his new surroundings. Yuna's heart jumped in her chest when he looked at her then his gazed shifted to the pink haired woman.

Then all of their attention was focused on the third and last blue figure. Green hair framed a sensitive, worried face. Her eyes seemed to shift from bright pink to soft green, as if she couldn't decide who she wanted to be. Yuna noticed she carried no weapon though. The green haired woman stepped towards Yuna, almost immediately. For some reason, Yuna felt no threat from her, though she had never seen her before and looked at Tidus. He nodded down at her and led her towards the center of the flower crowded field.

Tidus stooped to pick up the Brotherhood and glanced at Lightning. She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes at him as if she expected Tidus to attack her. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, "Sin," he thought and jerked panicky glances around him. He heard a mechanical whine and click and turned to see Lightning with her sword out, crouching for battle.

"Where is this place?" Terra shouted over the din, "Wh, what's going on?" Terra covered her face and leapt into the air, her body flashing bright pink pulses then a brighter flash of light and she hung there, floating above them. Her eyes shone a bright red and her body was pale pink fur.

Tidus looked in Squall's direction but, he said nothing, only pulling his gun blade from his shoulder slashing it across the air in front of him.

"Here it comes!" Lightning shouted and a whirling mechanical circle opened in the sky behind Terra and she flitted high and disappeared to come down behind Tidus and Yuna. She said nothing, only floating there watching Yuna with worried eyes.

A primeval roar shook them all to their knees and a twisted looking behemoth jumped down. There were strange tattoos on its body and it vestigial wings flapped a poisonos vapor into the air.

Lightning flashed forward, slashing and hacking at the beast until it fell back, staggering. She threw a blazing look over her shoulder at Tidus and he sprang into action cutting a complex pattern around the behemoth until it fell to one knee. Squall needed no prompting and slammed into the beast with an exploding slash of his sword. The behemoth fell to all fours and roared at the sky as it sensed it life nearing its violent end. From seemingly out of nowhere it pulled a massive, serrarated sword from behind its back and stood again an invisible force field pushing the warriors back, their swords digging into the ground for purchase.

Lightning jumped to her knees and started to crouch walk up to the behemoth then felt the air behind her become dry and heard a staticky popping.

"Valefor!", Yuna shouted and nodded encouragingly to Terra who had finally floated down to the ground and resumed her former self. She had pulled a short sword from her belt and was mouthing something hurriedly. Suddenly, her head snapped up and she yelled, "Ifrit!"

Valefor came swooping down and landed, with a thud, next to Yuna. He touched her with his head and leapt, circling into the air. A flash of blue, sizzling light erupted from his mouth and he lowered his head and sliced the behemoth with it, taking the beast's sword arm off. Ifrit bellowed a fiery roar and hurled a blazing fireball at the face of the behemoth finally knocking it to its back. The flowers around the behemoth seemed to glow with a soft white light and the behemoth began to disintegrate, its pieces floating off into the distance.

Lightning stood from her crouch and folded her collapsible gun blade , "Be ready for the next fight" she husked and glanced at each of them.

"Where are we?" she asked no one in particular. Squall shook his head and propped on his sword, leaning.

Lightning didn't know where she was or what had happened, she only knew she had to get to Fang. Even getting back home seemed to slip to the back of her mind with each passing moment, every fleeting thought given to Fang.

Yuna nodded and stepped forward, "This is the farplane. I'm Yuna." she chuckled softly, "we shouldn't even be here.." Tidus snorted.

"I was teaching some children and then I was here. I know I was lost before but, this is…this isn't…the Esper World is it?"

"Espers?" they all asked at the same time. Terra stepped back and looked at the ground embarrassed.

"I know what happened," Squall said, finally entering the conversation. They looked at him expectantly…having all been at this crossroads before.

"Ultimecia happened. She…she wanted to compress time to ..I dunno..take it over? Be a ChronoQueen? Beats me but, that's exactly what I thought I was doing to her then before I could summon Shiva, she.."

"You can summon?" Yuna and Terra asked excitedly. Lightning frowned, "what's the big deal I used to summon all the time." Yuna frowned and looked at her…

"Odin," Lighting said.

Squall nodded, "I used to summon Odin too but, one battle I called him and kept calling and he never came back."

Lightning scuffed the ground with her boot toe. "Odin stays with me now." She shrugged, "He said it was getting tiresome being summoned all the time so we stay together now. Do we have time for this? I..I need to find Fang."

They were all silent..they had never heard of Fang. Lightning looked at them in turn, "I keep dreaming of her but, she keeps going away. Or the dream takes me away …"

"Dreams have a way of doing that" Tidus said and smiled tenderly at Yuna.

"I thought that.." Lightning shook her head and looked at the ground, at a loss for words…

"What is it" Terra asked, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Lightning balled her fist and held it to her chest "I had the crazy thought that if I could make my dreams solid, if only for a little while she could maybe tell me where to go to find her."

Tidus felt a tingling in his skin and nudged Yuna.

"What?" Lightning asked, catching their knowing looks.

"We can ask the Aeons," Yuna said. "but I don't know how to call them."

"I got this," Tidus said and put his fingers to his lips and blew a sharp whistle. From the fog behind Tidus a small boy walked forward. He was wearing ragged shorts and floated a couple of inches off the ground. His hood covered his face and his hands were clasped in front of him.

"I know why you called," he said in husky, small little boy voice. He looked at Yuna pointedly, "you'll need to call us again but.." and he held up a hand.."this time we're here to stay. Odin has it right and you," he said looking at Tidus, smiling, "wont have to cry this time…"

"We're going to stay with Yuna this time, so you will be able to stay with her. Remember in Zanarkand when you said you weren't sure, but we put you together with our thoughts and made you solid?"

Bahamut looked at Lightning, "Yuna will need to call the Aeons, together, and we will call this 'Fang' of yours. You will need to be strong…the NetherReach that Ultimecia made has strengthened."

Bahamut turned to Squall, "When she compressed time, her spell faltered and started to collapsed on her. Her body began to disintegrate, like the pyre flies, but, a second spell was uttered at the same time. The second spell strengthened Ultimecia's TimeSplit and caused all of you to be sent here. Along with others thrown into strange worlds…"he looked concernedly at all of them, "trying to find their way home too…"

He looked at the ground and shook his head, "I would have never known, and its hard to explain but, Fang called and I..I heard her for some reason…only when I came to her, my Fayth had already gone to her and he was …different but… still my Fayth."

The sky darkened slowly behind them and Bahamut started to fade. "Call us, Yuna," he said before disappearing completely.

Yuna took Tidus' hand in hers and he turned her to him. "We'll be together this time…"

She smiled up at him, a tear slipping from one eye. She stepped back and keeping his blue-eyed gaze, she began to twirl the Magistral Rod. She lowered her head and, closing her eyes, began to whisper the Aeons' names. "Valefor….Ixion….The Magus Sisters…"

Terra watched her and with growing courage flowering in her chest, she began to summon as well. "Carbuncle…Alexander…. Ifrit…"

Tidus nodded to Squall and Lightning and stepped back, giving the summoners room. Lightning stepped forward and snapped her sword out. Odin materialized, seemingly out of nowhere and she leapt to his back. Odin nervously paced but, backed away as well, still staying closer though than Tidus.

Squall sheathed his own gun blade and summoned his own. "Shiva…Diablos….Eden…"

At the mention of Eden's name Lightning sucked in a breath, hissing disapproval. Odin could sense her alarm but, kept his stand.

Around Yuna, small groups of dancing lights floated and circled, circling inside themselves. They grew in size and the spinning became frantic until her summoned Aeons appeared. Valefor tread air while Ixion clattered a sizzling dance. Sandy, Mindy, and Cindy haughtily waited.

When Terra's summons had arrived. Yuna stood, not really knowing what to do. Odin grunted and Lightning jumped down. He trotted over to the other aeons and they all closed together in a loosed circle. Valefor leapt to the sky, as before, but instead of attacking he hovered and spread his wings over the huddling aeons. They began to whisper and in the center of them a familiar white glow appeared. Lightning gasped at the sight of it, recognizing it from her dreams.

The white glow rose above the aeons' heads and began to expand. The air shimmered and hissing fog rolled off the unclear edges. Lightning peered through the eye watering sheen and her eyes widened when she recognized Oerba! And there was Fang! There were four others with her and a group of other aeons were gathered in Oerba's dilapidated town square.

These aeons were drawn close and were whispering the same way Yuna's and Terra's aeons were. She could make out Bahamut hovering above them with his wings spread protectively over their huddling forms. Lighting's eyes started to sting from staring at the glare but, she watched anyway. The aeons slowly started to back away from the tight circle they had formed and gave the shimmering Oerba room to grow. Lightning watched with widening eyes as she saw Fang look at her through the strange gateway the aeons had made. Fang reached out and a blue furry arm pulled her back. He stood a head taller than Fang and shook his head down at her. Fang threw her glance to the ground and stepped raggedly back.

The aeons slowly stepped back, widening their circle until the shimmer had expanded, allowing room enough for a person to walk through. Lightning looked at Tidus and he nodded towards the gateway, smiling encouragingly. Light folded and sheathed her gun blade and approached the shimmer. She was unsure what to do next so she reached up and touched the shimmer, like she would a c'ieth stone. Suddenly, the shimmer solidified, with a sharp, mechanical thud.

Lightning crouched for battle and, chagrined, stood peering through the gate. She saw Fang and smiled tentatively. She started forward but, looked over her shoulder at Yuna and Tidus. They were hand in hand watching her. Squall threw his gun blade up to his shoulder and silently observed. Terra clasped her hands and was staring through the gate herself, her wispy green hair curling around her face.

Lightning looked at the ground in a moment of indecision and nodding her head sharply, she stepped boldy through the gate.

On the other side…

Kimahri laid a hand on Fang's arm, preventing her from walking through the unfinished gate. In all his experience, Kimahri never expected the aeons to come back. He remembered what Shuyin had done to the aeons and thought they would never chance that happening again. Fang looked at him, only half a head shorter, and Kimahri grunted, shaking his head. Fang threw an angry glance at the ground and stepped back.

"Once we get that damn thing open, we can go back home!" Barrett boomed behind her. Fang smirked at him thinking she had never traveled with such forceful personalities before.

"Then maybe Marlene and me can go knock some sense into that spiky head! Yeah!" Barrett put his hands on his hips and chuckled heartily.

"I can see Squall!" Rinoa breathed excitedly. Fang put and arm around her blue sweatered shoulder and hugged gently.

"Yeah. Looks like you made a promise too." Fang's eyes softened when she remembered something Lightning had told before they had reached Orphan. She had promised Fang that no matter where they went., no matter how far they were from each other and even if they were separated and couldn't find each other…that she would come running. Not fear nor fire could keep her away. Nor time or strife. That love, their love, could transcend the fickle id of dreams or the anger of a thousand revenges.

Fang felt a small hand on her arm and looked down at Rydia. The child had lost so much and yet she continued. She never seemed to lose that youthful hope and Fang had to grudgingly admit that it was starting to rub off. It was starting to seep into the cracks of Fang's façade. She smiled and nodded down at Rydia.

"Right," she said softly and yelled a little when shimmer snapped open. She stumbled a little and Barrett caught her arm. Fang gratefully thanked him and picked up the Dragoon Spear she had dropped when the shimmer startled her. She saw Lightning staring at her through the gate and all fear left Fang. Seeing Light's face made everything seem worth it. That all her fears and aggravations were in vain.

Fang stepped through the gate…..

Together….

Fang threw her Dragoon Spear to the ground and ran to Lightning. She half expected the soldier to hit her for rushing her but, Light seemed different. She had tears in her eyes but, she was smiling too. Lightning leaned into Fang's embrace, breathing her in. Lightning closed her eyes and felt relief flooding her soul. They were together….finally….

Fang held Lightning, caressing her pale pink hair.

"I told..", Lightning began, happy sobs choking her, "I told you I would come. I told you…."

Fang closed her eyes and breathed a deep sigh of contentment….. "Meh,"

Fang stepped back, still holding Lightning and smiled gratefully at the others. She thought she probably would never see them again but, she was grateful for the help they gave her.

"You know we're not finished," Fang said softly. Lightning nodded.

"It's never finished…," Lightning husked and was sharply interrupted by Terra shrieking in alarm. Light dropped her head in exasperation as Terra once again, transformed into her esper self. Only this time, she held her stead. She floated, looking pointedly at Lightning and turned to Squall. He knew he had to finish with Ultimecia before this could be done. Before he could be with Rinoa.

He looked sullenly at the ground surmising the aeons could only opened the gate for Lightning and Fang. If he could kill Ultimecia this time…really kill her….then he could go home.

He picked up the Lionheart and slashed it the air menacingly and nodded at Terra. Tidus flipped the Brotherhood into the air and put his hand out…Yuna laid hers on it and he caught the sword with his other hand. Squall laid his hand on Yuna's and Terra gently came to the ground and put her glowing pink hand on theirs.

Lightning looked up Fang and Fang slid from her embrace. She grinned broadly then and spinning her DragoonSpear she winked cockily at Lightning and turned to jump through the Aeon Gate. Lightning turned resolutely to her group and grimly brandishing the Ultima Weapon, she laid her hand on top.

The moment her hand touched theirs, the Aeon Gate darkened and the aeons stopped whispering and closed the circle tightly. Yuna's aeons went with her and Terra beckoned for her aeons to join her as well. Squall smiled grudgingly as his aeons surrounded him.

Lightning gestured and they silently formed a staggered attack formation. The aeons stepped to the forfront, to Yuna's sad displeasure. From the center of the Farplane, where the aeons had made the Aeon Gate, another machina circle appeared, this time much larger and spnning faster, the outside rings creating piezoelectric sparks against the inside spinning rings.

Squall stepped up and pointed to one of the two maniacally laughing figures they could discern through the hissing shimmer. Valefore sprang into the air roaring and the two in the shimmer spun around, looking for the source of the scream. Squall leaned over to Lightning, "the one with the weird head horn is Ultimecia." Lightning looked skeptically up at him.

"She wants to compress time…" he raised his hands in defense, "I don't know what for but, we both know for us to go home, the spell has to stop and she has to die."

"Who's the other guy?" Lightning asked him. Squall scratched his head and said nothing.

Terra stepped over to her, "Kefka," she told them.

"Kefka?" they asked in unison.

"Kefka", Terra affirmed. He used to make these strange machines for the Empire. This must be one of them,"

"This is time compression," Squall interrupted "but, remember Bahamut said a second spell was made at the same time?" Terra nodded, "I think this guy must have made the same spell…or at least attempted to…I dunno, maybe his machina messed it up but, for whatever reason, we're gonna have to kill em both."

Terra glanced at Kefka and Ultimecia with dread but, nodded decisively. Squall's expression softened and he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "When we fix this, you can meet Rinoa," he said uncomfortably. He wanted to make her feel better he just didn't know what to say.

"Mua ha….mua hahaha," Squall cringed at the insane laugh. He sounded like he was trying to start some sort of engine…that had a funny bone...

Squall peered at Kefka through hair that never seemed to stay out of his face. His expression darkened when he saw Ultimecia standing beside the giggling, paint faced emperor. Something was….different about her. She didn't have the hauteur that had kept her nose in the air, like when she had taken Rinoa and put her in space. Her hair was unkempt and he could've sworn one of her nails was broken.

Kefka winked menacingly and held up a small, metal circlet. There didn't seem to be anything threatening about it but, Terra drew in a sharp, frightened breath when she recognized the Slave Crown. They had tried to evslave her with it but, when she had talked to the esper in Narshe, her mind became her own again. They couldn't enslave an esper with out turning it into magi-cite.

Kefka turned and tossed the Slave Crown onto one of Ulitmecia's horns. It spun at the tip of the horn and slid down to her head. Squall relaxed a little when Ultimecia didn't react. She simply stood there, blankly staring at nothing. Her eyes were dulled over and she blinked slowly, almost drowsily. Kefka pinged the Slave Crown with his fingers and it clinked against her horn. That sent him whooping and holding his stomach and caused him to stagger and trip over his own feet. Terrra snickered as a fart was forced out of Kefka.

Shaking her head, she started forward but, Kefka was far more aware than he let on. Terr had gone no more than three or four steps when Kefka hurled a fire spell at her, thowing them all into battle unexpectedly. Squall grimaced as he realized he should have taken the preemptive strike and brandishing the Lionheart with one hand, he gestured to Lightning with the other. She was already crouched and commenced to creep into battle.

Light brandished the Ultima Weapon and threw sizzling bolts of fire at Kefka while Tidus pounded her with flashing sword strikes, pushing Kefka to the stagger limit. Lightning slowly crept to the edge of battle to give Yuna room.

"Flare!" Yuna screamed at the sky and Kefka tried to dance out of the way of bubbling, searing magma that oozed out the ground and grabbed his feet. The flare lit his clothes and Kefka blazed, pirouetting about in screeching fits. "Aaaaahhh!"

Squall yelled and gestured to Shiva. Lightning felt an icy wind chill her skin into goosebumps and squinted through the blast of DiamondDust. Kefka staggered back under Shiva's attack and Lightning rushed on and slammed Kefka back with the leaden-strike of Ultima Weapon. Kefka croaked one final whoop of insane laughter and fell backwards, lighting the farplane flowers on fire which Shiva promptly put out.

Lightning whirled around to see Ultimecia still standing there, drooling. Suddenly, she felt a poke in her shoulder and she turned to see Tidus holding this blue ball that had small vicious looking spikes out to her. He nodded to her and handed her the blitz ball.

Tidus dashed fifty yards back and then sprinted forward, leaping into the air. The Brotherhood bore a blinding light that started at the base of the sword and enveloped the entire sword which Tidus hurled at Ultimecia. It slammed her in the face and caught her horns, melting them. She still stood there, the Slave Crown now smelded onto her head. Squall lifted one corner of his mouth in a vindicated smirk. Squall lowered the Lionheart to the ground and screaming a last battle cry, he rushed forward, the Lionheart ripping ragged chasms in the farplane floor.

Squall met Ultimecia with a deafening, slicing blast of the Lionheart, splitting her form in half, the pieces falling to the ground in slow motion.

When her two halves hit the ground, Lightning rushed forward to help Squall to his feet. He looked up at her outstretched hand and took it, standing. Lightning smiled a grateful little smile and nodded towards the Aeon Gate. Fang was waiting on the other side, in Oerba, standing alone this time but, for Bahamut standing proudly behind her, his massive arms folded across his chest.

Lightning turned to find Yuna and the others but, saw only a single blue, pulsing figure, retreating and waving. Lightning held up a hand and the figure faded away with one last whistle.

She turned to the Aeon Gate and saw only Odin standing there. He snorted and held her massive GreatSword in his mouth. She chuckled and took the Blade, jumping to his broad back. She looked at the Aeon Gate with a little apprehension. Fang beckoned to her and Odin stepped through the Aeon Gate.


End file.
